Leymah Mighty Be Our Power

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Lastly, in "Mighty Be Our Powers," Daniel uses the labels enforced by his society to control, isolate, and limit Leymah's sense of agency, effectively making her powerless. Even as a young child, Leymah is defined by her altruist tendencies towards her family and community; despite the positive nature of this characteristic, her female position causes it to paint her as weak and easily manipulatable. Daniel, a family friend, then prays upon this vulnerability to trap Leymah in a marriage that provides her nothing; he can still do whatever he wants. He helped her show his courteous intentions and immediately found a way to use it against her. When Leymah comes down with a sudden case of Malaria, Daniel pays for her medical treatment, which she …show more content…

This idea reflects the male and female relationships that Leymah has witnessed growing up, especially the open dynamic between her mother and father. Her mother and father were together, and Leymah's father would spend time seeing another woman and even talk about it around the family and their mother. Society deemed this behavior acceptable and even expanded upon it to say that men could bring their new children into their old wives' homes, thus creating an unequal and dangerous view of masculine authority. Daniel's systematic use of powerfully fueled actions to control Leymah and cut her off from the support of her family allows him to shape her into the complacent wife he wants. Around the time that Leymah gets pregnant with their first child, she starts to experience a tighter hold by Daniel, who labels her as "his" [MBOP, pg 44]. Despite knowing that this violence will only continue, her precariousness makes her feel unable to leave Daniel. Moreover, she doesn't want her kids to grow up without a father. After Leymah gives birth and her parents arrive, she expects them to invite her home- as that is the African custom- but when they don't, Daniel is quick to use this against

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